FIRST

Nonprofit Issues:

Children & Youth, Technology, Education

Address:

200 Bedford Street ManchesterNH03101USA

Mission:

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 by Inventor Dean Kamen to inspire and excite secondary high school students about mathematics, science and engineering. Many companies and organizations have established bridges with local schools to help ensure the future presence of a qualified work force, few programs have been developed on the national level. One program that has, and has been very successful in its mission, is the national robotics competition of FIRST. The FIRST conducts regional and national design competitions which demonstrate that engineering, math and science can be interesting, captivating and entertaining as a sporting event.

Target demographics:

participants master skills and concepts to aid in learning science and technology through innovative projects and robotics competitions, while gaining valuable employment and life skills.

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Reviews for FIRST

I have been involved with FIRST Robotics for 12 years.
While I no longer FIRST will save the world from itself (our problems are too diverse and deep for any one size fits all solution) I do believe FIRST is one of the best tools to help you cope with the uncertain future facing our youth.
The level of professionalism this program has is amazing. From the game production. to the distribution of kits to teams to the amazing events. I think the polished production helps FIRST spread the word. It actually comes off as more legit than Battlebots which I felt was more of a disorganized exhibition that a competition.
FIRST not only teaches kids skills that help with STEM activities but life skills as well. Accountability.Responsibility. Integrity. Creativity. Personal growth that will help these students (and often the adults as well) get further in life. I endorse FIRST to anyone who's ear I can mange to catch to tell them about this amazing program.

Would you recommend this group to a friend?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I became involved with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 2007 when my kids joined our local robotics teams (one in FRC - high school, and one in FLL - intermediate school). This is a world-wide program that encourages students to learn about and become inspired by science, technology, engineering, and math through hands-on activities and competitions which are free and open to the public. As an engineer myself I was drawn to help the team and mentor the students in areas from programming to writing award submission essays to working on their presentation skills in front of groups of adults as well as other students. I cannot say enough about the positive skills that my kids learned from their experience on our Robotics teams. They are now in college, one majoring in Computer Science & Engineering and the other majoring in Elementary Education with a collaborative second major in Math and Computer Science. They learned to work as part of a team; they learned math and engineering skills. They learned confidence; they learned respect. They were both honored to be team captains in their senior year; they learned leadership. FIRST is a life long experience that will be with them for the rest of their life. As for me and my husband (yes, we got the whole family involved), we are still mentoring the team even 3 years after our kids have graduated from high school. I too learn something new about engineering, or working with young people, or about myself every year. Our kids also come back and work with the new members of their team when they are on break from college. If you have an opportunity to become involved with a FIRST team, do not hesitate. You will never regret it. It is the hardest fun you will ever have... and the rewards far exceed the cost.

Would you recommend this group to a friend?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I became involved with FRC as an advisor three years ago. At first, the program seemed daunting as there were no blueprints or designs other than a rule book to follow. This was very frustrating to myself and the students that were involved.

With that being said, FRC has been the best program for both myself and my students to grow in learning how to reason, design for the challenge, utilize resources, collaborate with others, and in general compete with the resources we have at hand. For us, it has brought together multiple groups of students together who would otherwise not cross each others paths. Students who are mathematically and computer science gifted are natually drawn to this program, as are students who excell in fabrication and construction. All talents are required and necessary to make this project successful.

Will you tell others about this organization?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

This upcoming season, our FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team is celebrating ten years. We started in 2005with help from other FIRST teams and folks from NASA. We live in Garrett County - a very rural county in the State of Maryland, about an hour or so south of Pittsburgh. The impact of our team is beyond measure - affecting not only our students members but our County as a whole. All of our student members go on to college with at least 95% pursuing STEM careers - many receiving scholarships and entrance to their preferred school as a result of their FIRST experience in high school. In addition to affecting our student members, our team has grown to be the leader for community and school-based STEM education in Garrett County - sponsoring everything from summer tech camps for elementary school students to pumpkin chucking events in conjunction with local fall festivals. It's been wonderful for our team to have competed at the Pittsburgh Regional giving those who live in Garrett County and support our team a greater chance to travel to see a FIRST (FRC) competition.

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When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I was introduced to FIRST through my son. Coming from a background of electromechanical industrial controls, I naturally took to the organization. The students and mentors involved are the best people to inspire young minds of today. The FIRST organization provides a venue for the team and personnel talents. The yearly challenge and strict rules allows the wildest designs to come to life and solve very difficult problem. Everyone, no mater the skill level can have a huge part of a team. The best part of FIRST is that an entire school can be a part of the project. No matter the interest every student can play a role in a FIRST team. The draw for me as a volunteer is the total package. But helping students explore science and problem solving techniques has been very rewarding and always leaves me cheering on the teams.

Would you recommend this group to a friend?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

FIRST is a program that gets high school students more educated in robotics and engineering. It is much better than a normal classroom setting, where you follow a set of instructions to complete your robot and learn the VERY basics of programming. FIRST is definately trial and error based, where students are encouraged to think outside the box or normality, and come of with great ideas. One of the best parts about FIRST is how the games are as fun and exciting as a tradtional sporting event; even the atmosphere is similar to going to baseball/football game. I have been involved in FIRST for only two years, and I have already gotten these messages I am explaining and many more. If it were not for FIRST I would certainly not be as knowledgible in robotics, and not considering going to college at CMU or MIT, definately one of the most prestieged science/technology colleges in the world. I would personally like to thank FIRST for intoducing me into a new field I may not have been interested in otherwise.

Would you recommend this group to a friend?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an organization that gets kids excited about engineering, science, and technology. Excited doesn't really quite cover it. Students participating in FIRST events are more enthusiastic about conquering engineering challenges than any Pittsburgh sport fan. Every time I go to the competitions I am amazed by the excitement and energy of these kids.

I am a mentor with a FIRST Robotics team at a local high school. (There are other FIRST organizations for junior high and elementary school ages, too.) Each year FIRST Robotics introduces a new engineering design challenges in the form of a game. All the teams have six weeks to build a robot to play this game. At the end of the six weeks we ship the robot and don't see it again until competition. I work as an engineer and having a deliverable in only six weeks is an amazing feat.

One of the things that impresses me most about FIRST is the concept of “gracious professionalism”. The teams are very focused on winning the game, but they are even more tightly focused on helping everyone have a good competition. It is not uncommon for a team to show up at competition missing a key component (such as a working program for their robot) and by the end of the day other teams will have helped them get the machine up and running. The culture of gracious professionalism is, I think, my favorite thing about FIRST. We are helping train young people to go in to the world and be fierce, focused, competitive, but NOT jerks!

Would you recommend this group to a friend?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Im a highschool student in ftc that has only been a part of FIRST for two years but ever since I started I have loved it. It has taught me more about electrical systems 3d modeling, and mechanical designs along with the importance of gracious professionalism and teamwork. FIRST has given me the opprotunity to explore the world of engineering in a way i had never thought of before

How do you feel you were treated by this organization?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I have worked with FIRST as a volunteer at a regional competition and I am in my second year as a mentor to a high school that has both FTC and FRC teams. FIRST is a great way to address the STEM needs in our schools. The kids on these teams are the best. One of the most important things they learn from FIRST is gracious professionalism. Former FIRST graduates in our school have gone on to study various types of engineering, computer software, even biomedical engineering. The regional competitions are a lot of fun for the kids. I really enjoy working with these young people.

Would you recommend this group to a friend?

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

We began our invlovement with FIRST last year. Our students were very excited about the prospects of building a robot, even though, we had no idea what to expect. Fortunately, we had three veteren teams in our area that pitched in to help us get started and before we knew it, the build season was upon us. It was the longest/shortest 6 weeks of my life! Long hours, everyday, but the weeks flew by as we prepared for the Pittsburgh Regional. As the day finaly arrived, our students were excited beyod containment. The event organizers in Pittsburgh prepared for and ran a flawless competition and our student's were fortunate enough to win the Outstanding Rookie Award as well as qualifying as the top seeded rookie team.
What an experience for our student's! Many of them were able to solidify their career choices as engineers and computer programmers after the experience provided by FIRST and the organizers in Pittsburgh. My thanks to all involved in making this experience a great one for all of my students and the great number of students from all of the other schools represented. I can't wait to go again this coming year. Our students are getting excited as they begin making preparatiions for another build season.